Dear Parishioners,
Today is the Third week of Advent when the priest wears light red vestments to signify the need to rejoice, to be glad, to be uplifting and joyous. But how can we be joyous under the circumstances of our lives? The economy, the virus, the politics? I know, the times are very difficult. We do have vaccines on the way that will protect us and hopefully provide some stability to our society. But I think the question is a more fundamental one. Can we find joy, those of us who follow Christ, even if things look like they are falling apart?
No doubt we can and we must. Our faith tells us that we believe in a power stronger than this pandemic, stronger than our economy, stronger than our political beliefs. Our faith leads us to trust in the one who loves us, the one whose word created us, and the one who gave his life for us. God’s love and mercy go beyond our suffering and difficulty. Are we lost because of the pandemic? Are we lost because of our struggles? It is under these circumstances that we need to look to God for guidance and consolation. Christ represents a power of love that is constant and touches all of us. As Isaiah says, the Lord “has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken” (Isaiah 61). Let us offer our brokenness to God and do so with every piece of joy we can muster. He is our hope. He is the surety that goodness still exists. His is the comforting hands that hold us in troubles. Let us look at the bright vestments and know that we are not abandoned but held in love and mercy by a God who is ever present and wishes for us to trust in his goodness and salvation.
Blessings,
Deacon Steve
